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Tokyo Travel Log: Ichigaya, Shimbashi, Roppongi and other areas

Some of the other areas I travelled to while on vacation in Tokyo, Japan.

Ichigaya/Chiyoda

Ichigaya is located in central Tokyo and can be accessed via the central part of the Japan Rail Chuo line which runs between Shinjuku and Akihabara. Considering its location in central Tokyo, the area around the Chuo line bordering the river was very pictureseque:

At Ichigaya, I originally intended to visit the Bonsai museum. Unfortunately I was unable to find it, so either I failed to spot the entrance, it was closed, or maybe it had moved somewhere else.

Giving up on the Bonsai museum, I headed for the Yasukuni Jinja Shinto shrine and Yushukan museum instead, which were about a 15 minute walk from Ichigaya station:

The shrine has attracted a great deal of controversy from other nations, not least because a number of men who were executed by the allies as war criminals after the end of the Second World War are enshrined and worshipped there. The shrine has also been visited by high ranking Japanese officials, including several Prime Ministers.

Within the grounds are a number of statues honouring Japan's war dead. This statue honours the many carrier pigeons who were killed in service:

In the grounds of Yasukuni Jinja shrine is the Yushukan museum which displays records and relics from Japan's armed conflicts. The museum has extensive English translations of most exhibits. Despite this I didn't see a single other Westerner in the museum. Although not a great deal of Japanese military hardware survived the Second World War, there were a couple of aircraft on display, including a large dive bomber that was discovered in a jungle in 1972 and brought back to Tokyo to be restored. In the entrance hall is the first train to cross the Thai-Burma railway, and there is also a kamikaze aeroplane, as well as a kamikaze submarine.

The museum also has a sizeable gift shop, where I bought plenty of Battleship Yamato merchandise (I'm not sure if this is entirely appropriate though!)

As to the controversy, there was certainly little or no mention of Japan's war crimes during the 19th and 20th centuries. There was also an emphasis on Japan's battle to free Asia from Imperialistic Western rule, the success of which lead to modern Japan as well as the independence of countries such as Singapore and India after the Second World War.

Shimbashi

Shimbashi's Yamanote line station is on the outskirts of Ginza. Ginza is famed for its skyscrapers, wide streets and expensive shops, bars and restaurants.

The Shimbashi Yamanote line station is also a good place to change onto the Yurikamome train line which crosses the river via the Rainbow Bridge to the reclaimed land of Odaiba.

Roppongi

The Mori Tower in the Roppongi Hills development dominates the Roppongi skyline. In keeping with the upmarket image of the area, the observatory was quite expensive, so I didn't go up it.

There is a large spider sculpture (Louise Bourgeois's Maman) next to the skyscraper:

I couldn't find much of interest in Roppongi, so I didn't spend a great deal of time there. It was also quite tricky to get to from my hotel in Shinagawa.